Family Before Business
by Alpha Male Wolf
Summary: There is a break-in at Wayne Manor, and the thugs are after who else but Bruce Wayne's son, Richard Grayson. Now Bruce must find him before it's too late! Rated T for swearing, violence, and torture scenes. Character kidnapped. (Young Justice Team appearances in later chapters) Completed!
1. Chapter 1

**Alrighty. So here is another old story that made me very proud. Reading over it again it's... eh. It wasn't meant to have a whole lot of chapters to it, but I tend to put in a lot of words. Again, please ignore any typos you come across, or if they really bother you send me a PM and I'll fix it! ^-^**

**Hope you guys like it ; I'll be updating this often!**

**Reviews shall be loved and hugged.  
**

**I do not own any of these characters.  
**

* * *

The aromas from the kitchen were slowly making their way to the living room. Plates and trays of food were being put on the long table of the dining room. Both chairs however were empty.

Alfred looked around with a small frown. Wiping his hands on a clean white towel, he walked through the kitchen in very precise steps. The butler placed the rag on the counter before padding into the living room. Once he was in the large and well decorated room, he paused at the doorway, looking in.

"Master Dick?" He called out in a soft voice.

A small ebony-haired boy poked his head up from the couch. His bright blue eyes exposed as he played his normal, billionaire kid look. A small smile curved on his face.

"What's up, Al?" He asked, turning around so he was on his knees on the couch. His hands gripped the back of the couch.

"Dinner is prepared. Do you know if Master Bruce will be joining you?" The English man asked, unmoving from the doorway.

Dick shook his head.

"I think he said he had an interview today. I didn't really pay attention." The boy explained, trying to think back. "I'm pretty sure he walked in and told me that, but I was watching TV or something, so I was only half listening." He added a little smirk at the end of the sentence.

Alfred smiled slightly and nodded.

"Then dinner will be waiting for you at the table." The elderly man then turned to leave, but he paused once again. "Try not to get there late and have to reheat it again." He instructed, before disappearing down the hallway.

The raven-haired boy kept the same smile on his face as he watched him go. He then grabbed the back of the couch firmly and jumped over it, landing on his feet easily. As he walked out, the boy turned and came back, picking up the remote and flipping through the channels until he found the right one. He paused and watched, smiling.

On the screen was a very well groomed man sitting next to a slightly older one. They both were seated at a dark brown table, with matching brown chairs.

Dick admired the younger of the two. The man was composed and calm. He also was good-natured and kind; not half bad looking either. He had jet black hair with almost matching dark brown eyes. He wore a black suit and black tie with a white undershirt. He was just perfect; a perfect business man, a perfect idol, and perfect man.

The billionaire's son was turning around and starting towards the dining room as the two started talking.

_"And today we have with us, Mr. Bruce Wayne, owner of the Wayne Tech Company. It's an honor to have you here."_

It was all quiet as Dick sat on the couch, watching the continuing interview. He yawned and rubbed an eye as he watched. It was nearing 8 P.M, but he had had a long day, so he was pretty tired. What kept him awake was the wanting to be here when Bruce got back. The boy didn't know why he always had to stay awake until his 'dad' came. He never really tried to find out either or talk to anyone about it. He didn't mind.

_"Mr. Wayne, now that we've covered out business part and how things are going at your company. How is your house life? Have things been going just as well there?"_

_"To be honest Ryan, I think things have been better at home than Wayne Tech-"_

_"And that goes for your son too?"_

Here, Dick leaned in more. He put his elbows on his legs, his back was forward and down as his eyes stared intently at the television.

_"Richard has been great. Getting good grades, staying out of trouble for the time being."_

_"And as we come near the anniversary of Mary and John Grayson's death in the tragic acrobat accident that happened almost five years ago, how is he coping with that? Does he talk about his parents often?"_

_"Talking about his parents is a touchy subject, as expected. We haven't talked about his parents, because if this, but usually on the anniversary, he's more open about it."_

Bruce's answer went on, but Dick's listening was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. It was abrupt and suddenly, which almost made the raven-haired boy jump from the sound. But he quickly regained his composer and glanced up at the door as Alfred walked up to it.

The blue-eyed boy watched as the English butler opened it up. Dick could sense his confusion as he looked at the guest at the door.

"Excuse me; do you have an appointment with Master Bruce?"

And then, a loud shot.

The butler fell from his standing position as blood stained his shirt.

"Alfred!" Dick screamed, watching him as he fell with shocked face and wide eyes. Although he didn't have much time before about six men dressed in black entered through the door. They all carried weapons, some of them were bats, others were pistols. Black ski masks covered their faces with eye and mouth holes cut out.

"Grab the kid and anything else you can find!" One of the intruders ordered in a harsh voice. The group split up, but they soon realized something was missing.

Where was the billionaire's son?

Dick tore through the hallway of the upstairs room. He had to get to a phone. He had to call for help. He had to call Bruce. It wasn't long before he heard the loud footsteps and the crashing of furniture as the thugs ripped apart the mansion. Although the raven-haired boy's heart was racing from the race for the phone, his thoughts turned to Alfred and he felt sick. No one had ever had to even tried to hurt the butler before and watching him get shot down was something Dick never wanted to see.

As Richard turned the corner, he came face to face with a group of the intruders. He skidded to halt and barely had time to turn down into another hallway before one of the men tried to come down on him with his bat.

The raven-haired boy then took another turn into his room, closing the door as he did. He then quickly whipped around and turned the handle lock.

Almost the second he did, there was a loud bang against the door that almost made Dick think that it was just going to snap in two. The banging continued and Bruce Wayne's son was getting desperate. He was tearing through his clothes and messy desk, searching for his cell phone.

"Come out you little shit!" He heard an angry screech from outside of the room.

No doubt if they got in here Dick would be in some _serious_ trouble. Just then, he realized he had charged his phone and it was plugged into the wall next to the closet. He dove for the closet and shoved clothes and papers out of the way. Finally, he reached his phone and quickly put it into speed dial.

There then was a louder bang and a small cracking noise.

The blue-eyed blue looked frantically at the door and his heart started racing even more. The wood was snapping. It wouldn't last much longer.

_"Dick? What is it?_" A voice cut the boy from his glance. Hope jolted into his heart. Bruce had picked up!

"Bruce we have an emergency!" Dick tried to explain as fast as he could. With every thud there was an equally loud _crack_ that followed it.

"These guys broke into the house, they shot Alfred, and they have me cornered!" He shouted, panic thick in his voice, more about the Alfred part than him going to be kidnapped.

_"Hold on, I'm on my way now. Where are you?"_ Bruce's voice came calmly and steadily over the phone, although Richard could sense the rushed tone.

Almost like he was running.

"I'm in my room, trapped. Bruce you have to get to Alfred! He was shot!" The boy cried out as he repeated himself. Then, a loud snap was heard and Dick had barely enough time to look up before he was tackled over by a flurry of black-dressed men.

"No! Let me fucking go!" The 13 year-old screamed at the thugs. There was a sharp pain in his shoulder as he felt the familiar wood of a baseball bat hit him. There was another blow to his knee cap as he tried to kick out.

_"Dick! Dick! ….Richard!"_ could be faintly heard from the boy's phone.

"Bruce!" Dick struggled to yell. Both arms were pinned behind in his back. Pain was starting to come apparent as he felt more blows inflicted on him.

He then felt his body being pulled up to his feet, although it was extremely painful to put weight on his leg. But that didn't keep the raven-haired boy from fighting. He shook his body violently, trying to tug free. He bit one of the men on the arm. He felt blood in his mouth as he did this. He stayed like that, trying to get free, until a hand grabbed his hair and yanked his head up.

Dick looked up just in time to see a brown blur come across his line of vision. A sudden pain came to his head as he felt himself grow weak. Everything was coming to a haze. Time seemed to slow. He barely noticed being dragged down the stairs. He barely saw the glimpse of Alfred as they ran past his passed out body. The last thing Dick saw was the pavement of the driveway; before feeling tiredness take him over.

He then let himself slip unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey there!  
I'm glad some of you guys like th****e story ****so far! I'm not good with fighting scenes... or kidnapping scenes... or finding scenes... Actually, I'm not too great at any scenes at all. But hey, I try. ^-^**

**This story isn't going to be too long since each chapter is pretty lengthy. Check out my other stories if you'd like; hope you enjoy!  
**

**Reviews are hugged and loved.  
**

**I do not own any of these characters.  
**

* * *

Bruce Wayne made a tight turn as he sped up the road that led to his mansion. His hands were tightly gripping the wheel, almost making his knuckles go white. He kept a steady pace of 60 mph on a street that had a speed limit of 35. But he didn't care right now. He didn't have any time to waste.

There was a second left turn, which the man took tightly again with the speed he was going at. There was a loud screech as many people on the streets who were shopping, looked up. The black sports car was at the mansion in seconds after that, picking up speed as he noticed the dark windows and the door wide open. His foot then hit the brakes hard as he stopped only inches from the building.

The billionaire then almost ripped the car door off as he opened it violently and stepped out. He didn't even bother to close the door. Instead Bruce was already running to the front door. He stopped at the doorway however. In front of him was Alfred's body, lying on the ground. There was a small puddle of blood under the man that stained his clothes.

"Dammit!" He swore, taking more steps forward before crouching down next to the man. He picked up the pale arm and felt for a pulse. He continued pressing in on the wrist with his thumb until he felt the small thud. Breathing a sigh of relief, Bruce then slowly and carefully peeled back from the butler's soaked tux jacket to reveal the bullet wound. It wasn't too close to the center of his chest. This was a good sign.

Then, there was a small cough.

The man looked up surprised as the eyes on the wrinkled face slowly opened ever so slightly. Although there was something off in them. They weren't happy like someone would expect them to be after rescue came. They were sad, almost scared.

"Master… Bruce…" He muttered in a small voice. The man had to lean in to hear the call.

"Shhh, Alfred…" Bruce murmured, trying to apply pressure to the injury.

"You need to save your strength."

"Master…" here the butler coughed and almost choked, but he regained his composer and was able to continue on.

"Master Dick…." He reminded the younger man with a sad smile.

Bruce stared back at the English man. His dark eyes matched the older man's and he nodded slowly. There was a large part of Bruce Wayne that wanted to just go upstairs and find Dick gagged and bound. At least he would still be here. But no. There was no possibility of Dick still being here. Bruce had heard him being dragged out of the room. The only thing left to do was to look to see if there were any clues on who did this.

"Will you be ok to sit here until help comes?" The billionaire asked his butler, frowning. His voice was quiet and soft, almost gentle.

"I… I will be fine, sir." Alfred promised the man with a small smile.

The man then helped the butler up so he was leaning against the wall. The white walls were getting blood wiped on them as the clothes pressed against it. But that was the least of their problems.

Bruce then stood up all the way from his crouch. He caught one more glance from Alfred before turning around and starting up the stairs of the mansion.

As the black-haired man passed the large windows that were placed on one side of the hallway, he felt a suddenly feeling of coldness. It took him a couple of minutes to realize that it wasn't just him. It was the mansion. The mansion had a cold feeling. And Bruce knew why. Dick was gone. He was kidnapped and the whole house had a different feeling to it now. It was dark; lonely. The furniture in the hallways and rooms was tipped over and smashed, almost like they had had enough time to go through all the rooms, almost like they were looking for something. And once against Bruce's thoughts went back to Dick. This was becoming annoying.

After getting lost in his thoughts for a while, Bruce soon came to the boy's room. The door was on the ground, snapped in pieces. The man just stepped over it without taking too much time to stare. He then stopped once inside of the room. The scene was not helped by the darkness and the cold feeling from the mansion.

Clothes were all around the room. A trash bin was dumped over, the closet doors were open, and one of them was broken off. But that wasn't the part that got Bruce's attention. His eyes were focused on the silver cell phone that lay face down into the carpet. Spots of blood stained the tan floor. There was also a note. Slowly and mechanically, the middle aged man walked over and picked it up. He then unfolded the paper and his eyes scanned over it.

_Wayne,_

_We have your kid. Thanks for leaving him alone with your pathetic butler._

Bruce's grip tightened his grip around the letter. Angry swelled into him, but he continued to read it.

_If you want to see him without a knife sticking through his neck, you'll bring 15 million dollars to this address. Do not get any ideas. If we find that you are a dollar short, he will be killed._

_The brown, almost black eyes processed every word. He almost felt the words on his mouth before continuing to the next._

_Trying to save him will just leave to more violence. Bring us the money, and we can both walk away from this with what we want._

_I hope for your son's sake you'll think about paying the money. After all, we wouldn't want to get our hands dirty._

Then at the bottom of the page was the address _436 Ripen Drive._

Bruce clutched the note in his hand, the sound of paper crinkling breaking the silence. He then stared at the cell phone that still remained on the ground. He narrowed his eyes.

* * *

Dick awoke in a very uncomfortable position. His eyes slowly fluttered a little, before slowly opening into his new surroundings. In the darkness, his bright eyes looked more like a royal blue as there was little light in the room he was in. As his sense of feeling started becoming back to him, he felt his arms behind his body. Both of them were tied to the opposite arm with thick ropes.

Whoever had kidnapped him wasn't very good at tying knots. The ropes dug into his arms and wrist. The raven-haired boy was sure they were going to bleed pretty soon. But as long as he didn't move them too much, they shouldn't be too much of a problem. He felt a chair that was pinned against his back and under him.

He then glanced around. There wasn't anything special about the room. It looked like an abandon apartment.

Then Dick thought back to the last thing he remembered. The kidnapping. The shooting. Alfred… Bruce… What happened to them? Did Bruce get there in time to save Alfred? Did the kidnappers go after him too? So many questions that the boy couldn't answer; all because he was tied to a chair.

He had to get out.

Turning his head both ways he tried to locate anything that might help him. As his eyes got better adjusted, he spotted a lamp, an old couch, a small table. Nothing that he could use. There wasn't even anything he could reach.

That's when he heard a small thudding.

The raven-haired boy glanced to his right side slightly. Was someone coming? Almost the second he thought that, he started picking up voices.

"He ain't gonna pay the money man." was the first sentence. Dick immediately recognized his kidnapper's voice and narrowed his eyes. He remained silent as he listened in.

"He will if he wants to see his brat alive."

"What are we going to do with the kid anyways?"

"I dunno, probably bruise him up. We need to make it look like we're seriously going to kill him. You got the camera?"

"You think I'm a moron? Hell yeah I got the camera."

"Then c'mon."

Dick jumped slightly as the blind covered window was abruptly pulled up. The creaking noise was much quieter as they brought it up farther. There was a pause before two figures climbed through the small opening. When the first one walked in, he turned around and pulled the other up. He then closed the window once again and closed the blinds.

The light was flicked on.

The kidnapped boy shut his eyes quickly and cringed from the bright light. He opened his left one and gazed at the intruders.

They both were working on something in front of the boy. It was about four feet away and standing on three legs.

Dick looked up from his cringed position, confusion on his face. His eyes were now use to the light and it reflected into them, making them seem bright again.

One of the men caught his eye and grinned, stepping back from the machine. The boy could now see it was a video camera on a tripod. Not a good sign.

"Well, well. Looks like Sleeping Beauty finally woke up." He commented in a nasty tone. One of the man's bottom teeth was sticking out in front of his lips. It was pretty ugly.

The other man, who was taller and skinnier, now turned to him also. He had a scowl on his face and a winter hat over his messy hair.

"Are the ropes too tight, your highness?" The other man was still going on, although Dick wasn't listening to half the words he was saying. He just stared at him with an annoyed look.

"Sorry if they ain't the top notch ones you're used to. But I'm sure you can deal with it for the time being." He continued, now crouching in front of the blue-eyed boy.

There was silence. The billionaire's son said nothing but stared at the man through narrowed eyes. There was a mix of feelings in them; anger, annoyance, hatred, all the things that Dick was feeling. But there was one more emotion. There are no words to describe it, but it almost looked like he was smirking. Smirking with his eyes.

"Lay off the kid, Rich." The other man now ordered. He had an angered look on his face. "You don't want another bite to the arm."

A smile curved onto the boy's face. So this was the man he bit. Pleasure filled him. At least he had a good choice on who to attack.

"Who you smiling at?" The crouched man, apparently named Rich, demanded in a deep and murderous growl.

"Oh nothing. I was just wondering what you are doing with that video recorder. If you just brought me here to interview me, you only had to ask." The teen said cockily, gazing at the men with fake innocent eyes. His ebony colored hair was hanging slightly in his face, which almost made the boy look devious.

"We ain't here to interview you kid." The other man replied curtly.

"Yeah! We sending this to your father." Rich now added annoyingly.

"Ok, so you're sending a video of me doing nothing. Just sitting here… doing nothing." The boy repeated raising an eyebrow.

"Is this your first time kidnapping?" He asked, shaking his head and snickering.

"Shut up!" the man named Rich snapped at him. His hand jolted up towards the boy, but it was blocked by another hand. It was the other man's.

"Save if for the camera." he instructed in an almost calm voice. "Now help me set up the background."

The aggressive man looked back to Dick and glared. Reluctantly, he got up and the two walked behind the boy.

There were a couple of minutes of them just moving things out of the way, then a couple more minutes of the curtain being placed up. None of this Dick could see because it was behind him. Although his ears told him something similar to that, as one of the men cursed as there was a loud bang.

Finally the two came back into view. As the taller man went behind the camera, Rich followed, but stopped by the raven-haired boy. He leaned towards him from the right side. He wore a crooked grin.

"Now it's payback time." He whispered menacing into the boy's ear.

"We on air." The other man's voice came out from the camera. He then pressed the record button.

The ugly toothed thug then crouched by Dick and gave the camera a wave.

_"Good mornin' folks. Boy do we got a treat for you lovely people of Gotham."_


	3. Chapter 3

**Next chapter is up! This is kinda... lame. It's supposed to be a torture scene, but it's pretty mild (well, for what I write at least). **

**Anyway, let me know what you think! And for those of you who are following Broken Bonds, I might be delayed on the next chapter because my computer deleted like half of the story. I'm hoping to have it up by tonight though.  
**

**Reviews are hugged and given love.  
**

**I do not own any of these characters.  
**

* * *

Alfred was flipping through the channels from the hospital bed he had been placed into. Nothing had quiet interested him. He was looking for the History Channel. But apparently, it wasn't in any of the first 30 stations. So the butler continued to flip when suddenly the TV show he was on, switched automatically to a very strange one. It was a picture of a boy tied to a chair with a middle-aged man crouched next to him.

Alfred knew who it was right away.

Quickly and swiftly, the English man reached for the phone that was on the side table to his right. He quickly dialed a seven digit number before leaning back and waiting. The ringing remained in his ear as he looked back at the boy on the screen with the talking man next to him.

_"You probably all know who this charming young fellow is. And I ain't talkin' bout me."_ Alfred stared at the man as he spoke on the screen.

_"Bruce Wayne speaking."_ A voice then was heard on the other end.

"Sir, this is Alfred. It seems that young Richard's kidnappers have decided to go live." The elderly man tried to find the right words to put it in. His accent was still in perfect calmness even as he watched the man grab Dick roughly by the cheeks with one hand.

_"Turning it on now."_ was all the man replied before hanging up. There was the obvious noise of that.

The butler sighed before also putting the receiver back to its original position. He then glanced up at the television with worried eyes.

_"Ain't he a peach; with his big blue eyes and his rich kid clothes." Rich looked sideways at the boy and smiled. He then stood up and the camera went up too. Now all that could be seen was Richard Grayson's head and shoulders, the man's upper half, and the horrible floral print background behind the two. He stood next to the boy._

_"Now it's been 'bout, ooh I don't know, 'bout two hours since we kidnapped the little snob. But we ain't heard anything 'bout any money. And we started thinkin' that ya'll don't think we're serious. So just to prove it." The man stifled a small chuckle. Suddenly, he shot his fist out at Dick, his fist connecting with the boy's jaw. The raven-haired boy's head snapped sideways._

Gasps were heard throughout the streets of Gotham. Every TV in the city had been hacked into and were now streaming the video live. This also meant the large TV on one of the taller skyscrapers that was used for commercials.

Mothers hid their children's eyes while their husbands put protective hands on their shoulders and watched the video. All the people in Gotham remained still as they watched. This included Bruce Wayne. The billionaire was watching the broadcast from the Batcave. He was dressed in the Batman suit, but his mask hung loosely behind his head. His grip tightened as he watched the first punch.

_"I hate to hurt the little snot, but we don't got a choice. We just following orders." Rich tried to explain in a fake innocent voice. He then swung his leg around, kicking the boy in the face again._

_The tied boy hung his head for a moment after the assault before looking back up at the camera. His hair hung messed up in front of his eyes slightly. Blood was streaming down the corner of his mouth._

Bruce was staring at the boy for so long he didn't even realize see the man walk behind him until he picked up a metal bat. His eyes widened. Then, the man swung.

There was a loud _thud_ as the bat hit. The boy's head snapped forward, not expecting the blow.

Some people on the streets of Gotham screamed.

Alfred stared in shock as he saw this. Doctors and nurses were also in his room now, watching the horrific event.

_"Oops, I forgot to warm-up." The man said, smiling. He then brought the bat back again, and went for another blow. This time the boy's head was pushed to the left as the bat went from left to right. This was followed by another, then another. More than a dozen swings and hits later, Rich finally dropped the blood-splattered bat. The metal was dented in, in some places where the most of the red liquid was._

_The boy's head hung forward. After the first ten strikes he had stopped lifting his head back up. Instead he just remained in his sitting position, his hair hiding his face. Blood was trickling from where his head had busted open and was now dripping off his forehead and onto the floor that was unseen from the camera. He looked dead_.

From the main chair of the Batcave, Bruce's hands were clenched into fists. He was no longer looking at the screen. His head was also hanging and his eyes were closed with a long worn frown on his face. He only looked up when the man started talking again. A deep hatred ran through the billionaire as he looked back up.

In the Gotham hospital, the elderly butler watched with tears in his eyes. He had a tissue held to his nose as he watched the boy with nothing he could do to help. The sobs from the nurses weren't helping.

_"Don't worry folks, he's 'live." Rich taunted, looking up at the camera. He then leaned over the back of the chair, putting his face next to the Dick's._

_"Why don't you sure everyone' you're ok'?" He asked sweetly. He then grabbed Richard's hair in his massive hand and yanked it back. With a mangled cry, the boy's head was forced up. He had multiple bruises and bleeding marks where blood had clotted and was now breaking through skin. His lips were covered in blood and his nose was also running the red ooze. _

_When he was first pulled up, the boy's eyes were tightly shut, but as he felt the criminal lean close to him, his bright blue eyes glared up at the man with a deep hatred, almost as bad as Bruce's glare. _

_The raven-haired boy then made an attempt to pull from his binds and attack the thug, but this was hopeless. He clenched his teeth that blood was creeping through the crakes. He gave out a weak grunt as the pain was obviously taking its toll._

_"Shhh, shhh, shhh…" Rich cooed, patting the side of the boy's face as he whispered this. He then looked up with a wicked grin._

_"Hope this helped you decide, Wayne," suddenly, the man's face got murderous and held a dangerous look. "I promise you next time will be worse." _

Then the screen went black.

* * *

"I know him!" Artemis shouted suddenly, standing up from the old and worn couch she sat on. It was about 4 P.M in Star City and the archer had just returned from school. Her mother had been watching the News while she was finishing her homework. Well, was, until that very interesting video came on.

The older lady was now looking at her with confused and doubting eyes.

"That's impossible." She stated in her thick accident. Her wheel chair was next to the sitting girl.

"No, mom, he goes to my school!" The blond insisted still tense. She put a hand to her head trying to remember what his name was. She then realized that she never actually heard his name and all she knew was he was a freshman and went to Gotham High. And now she knew he was related to the billionaire Bruce Wayne. That meant one thing.

He was Richard Grayson.


	4. Chapter 4

**Next chapter! Looks like this story is coming to an end buddies, should only be a matter of a chapter or so. Hope you guys enjoy this part though, since I'm really bad I showing what's actually happening between what's happening on the screen.**

**Reviews are loved and cherished.  
**

**I do not own any of these characters.  
**

* * *

He wasn't quite sure how long it had been. An hour, two, four… maybe a day. But that wasn't important. The amount of time that passed was just a small problem to the one he had gotten himself into. His ears were on the constant alert as voices were always heard from the room, telling him that he still was not alone. There was no way he could show his captors that he was awake. That would lead to more pointless arguments, even though he did enjoy them, and more brutal attacks, which he was not going to stand for.

So the boy sat and listened, his head hanging forward. His four years of experience told him to test his senses every hour to make sure he wasn't cutting off circulation. And plus after all the blows to the head, he was slight kind of fuzzy. The ebony's face tensed for a moment, his eyes were already closed and he slowly opened them up, bright blue shown through the dark shadow of his face.

"Come on the boss man wants us in office now."

"Hell Dean, that bastard don't give shit bout us."

"But he's payin' your bills so let's move it."

The voices then softened slowly and soon were not heard. The boy sat there for a few more minutes until he was sure they were gone. He then picked up his head, feeling dizzy has he did. The world spun around on him, but Dick refused to let that slow him down.

Instead, the raven-haired boy looked around the room to make sure he was alone. His eyes darted in front of him and caught the small camera that was still propped close him. He tried to tug his feet forward, but then he remembered they were tied to the legs of the chair and that those were chained to what looked like bricks or cinder blocks. Dick paused and stared at the cinder blocks, hard in thought. His then glanced back up the camera.

If only he could get the camera on... that was it!

The boy twisted his head to the right and saw the small zipper that was sewn onto his jacket. The long line of metal ran down his torso and ended at the bottom of the expensive coat. It might just be long enough. Now for the hard part. The teen bit down on the top part where the metal was stitched in. His teeth tightened into the jacket and he tugged his head to the side.

There was a small ripping noise and the shock of getting cut ran through Dick.

He felt blood start into his mouth again. He let go of the now unattached part of the zipper line and paused, bringing his head back so he was looking at the camera again. His tongue ran over the incision he made in his mouth.

It was gross.

But Dick turned his head to the right again and gripped the stitching between his teeth, this time it was lower though. And again, he yanked his head to the left. This time the rip was louder. The raven-haired boy felt another shock from the pain come to him, but instead of letting go, he gripped the free part of the locket metal string and continued to pull. This task became easier as he zipped off more and more. Soon he was at the end and he gave the zipper line one last hard tug.

There was a sound that was almost like a popping and the whole thing came off the jacket.

Dick's head went back to its forward position. The long strand of metal hung from his mouth, his teeth clenched tightly, holding the end of it caught in two different places between his teeth. The raven-haired boy paused and now looked up at the camera. With the flick of his head, the metal strained whipped out in front of him, striking the video camera near the lens.

Dick gave off a grunt of annoyance. He stopped again and made sure he had his target clear, before shooting his head out, the whip now striking the little side button. It was lucky too because then if flung from the teen's mouth, landing across the room. That didn't matter though.

With a grin, the hacker looked up to see the green light on, showing him that he was live in all of Gotham.

* * *

"Is that, that boy?"

"Mommy I'm scared!

"These people are psycho!" screams where heard from Gotham, as the boy's face appeared back on the screen. They expected more live beatings, although what came next was surely a pleasant surprise.

_"Bruce," The boy started right away, not wanting to waste any more time than he had trying to turn the camera on._

_"There are two guys, the shorter one is Rich, and the taller one is Dean. They're working for some boss that is apparently 'paying their bills'." Dick explained in a horse, but strong voice. His eyes kept darting to the window and he took a moment to make sure no one was there with him._

Batman had been watching this from the Batmobile on the small screen. After multiple searches around the city, he had a pretty good idea where his son is. But more information on the thugs never hurt.

_"I get the feeling that they aren't going to keep the money; that it's going towards something else. Like a 'donation' to take over the world thing. I know I'm in the east side of Gotham, where the old apartment buildings are. That's all I could-" here the boy stopped, his heart starting racing. Voices. He recognized Dean's and Rich's voice right away, but now there was another one. It was their boss._

The Dark Knight had a hard time looking at the road as he heard the voices too. This is was perfect. They would catch their boss's face on camera. But also was deadly if they found out it was on.

_The raven-haired boy remained completely still as everyone in Gotham stared up at the TV, holding their breath. As if they would hear the people watching._

_"He's in here?"_

_"Yes sir."_

_"Did Wayne give us the money yet?"_

_"Not yet, we sent him 'em little 'motivation' like ya said."_

_"Good..."_

Batman's grip tightened around the wheel as he realized this was the man that had told them to hurt Dick. He was going to pay dearly.

_People then started filing in. First the thugs, then the boss. Dick kept his head forward as he realized who the boss was right away. He then put on a completely spaced out and blank face before the villains came into view of the camera._

Batman didn't look down, he already knew who was boss was.

_A man with half of a normal face, and half of a torn up and charred one then appeared on the screen. The people of Gotham recognized him too. It was Two Face._

_"This the brat?" he questioned in a deep and scratchy voice._

_"That's him alright. Little twerp bit me." Rich replied now._

_"Don't be a pussy Rich." Dean now cut in with a glare._

_"I ain't bein' a pussy."_

_"Then shut up."_

_While the two continued to argue, Two Face crouched down to the tied up boy, who kept it 'out of it' look still._

_"Why hasn't your father paid yet?" he asked in a weird tone of voice. It wasn't harsh or violent, but it gave off the feeling that if Bruce didn't pay very soon, something bad was going to happen._

_"Maybe he doesn't feel like giving to the mentally incapable." Dick replied in a cocky voice, now shooting him is best glare._

_"Cute." The villain smirked, patting Richard on the cheek. He then stood up and walked off the screen._

_"Rich, get the camera on." He ordered._

_Dick felt himself tense. In a matter of moments they would find out that the camera had been on this whole time. His only hope now was that Bruce or Batman, whoever he was at the time, was able to figure it out and was on his way now. _

_Able to figure it out? _

_Heck, he was just hoping that he wouldn't come too late. There was no question in the boy's mind that he had already figured it out before his little broadcast._

_"What the hell?!" A cry cut out from the screen._

_"What's the problem?"_

_"The camera is already on!"_

_"Get out of the way!" Two Face's voice snapped at the man before the camera shook a little. Suddenly, the villain was on screen, and had Dick in a choke hold. He held the boy by his neck; the chair's legs were off the ground._

_"You little brat! I'll have you skinned!" He screamed into the teen's face._

_The billionaire's son struggled to get air, his face turning slightly red. He clenched his teeth._

_"Boss, you want us to turn off the camera?"_

_Two Face looked back now, still holding his hostage. He grinned with the good side of his face. It was the look that said he had a plan._

_"Keep it on. I think we've done enough waiting now." The villain then dropped Richard back onto the ground. However, the chair was off balance and he handed on his side. The boy cringed on impact before opening his eyes back up._

_The camera followed as it got into a better position to see the two. Two Face then crouched down behind the boy who held an indignant look. He pulled on his restraints, making a last ditch effort to get free. The teen looked more frustrated and less like the innocent victim._

_The villain behind him reached into his suit. From the white half of his jacket, a concealed weapon was revealed. It was a shiny metal pistol. He cocked it and pointed it to the boy's head._

Screams erupted from the crowds in Central Gotham. It was now a massive swarm off bystanders. Police were trying to clear some of the mass as more people in the crowd started going into something like a riot.

_Dick felt the cold barrel against his temple and swallowed hard before giving his captor an unseen glare._

Meanwhile, Batman raced through the crowded streets Gotham as people cheered him on from the sidewalks. The Gotham Police waved him off as he blasted as incredible speeds.

_"Looks like your ward will be meeting your parents you lost so many years ago, Wayne." Two Face said leaning into the boy and pressing the barrel into the boy's head, twisting it around._

_Richard winced as he did so. Sweat started forming his forehead and it felt the villain's finger on the trigger, about the finish him. His heart rate was thudding rapidly. He could barely hear anyone else in the room anymore as the evil doer kept talking. _

_The ebony-haired boy's memories flashed in front of his eyes without him wanting them to; everything from his parent's deaths to starting the Young Justice team. He felt blood race through his veins as his heart rate increased._

Batman glanced down at the screen and looked back up ahead. He knew he wasn't going to make it in time. He was at least 4 miles away and Two Face was going to pull the trigger any second. There was no way he could get to him.

_"Say goodbye." The villain grinned before pulling the trigger._


	5. Chapter 5

**Here is it! Since the last cliffhanger wasn't very nice to put in, I thought I'd update early today! Hope everyone finds this a reasonable rescue ;D**

**Reviews are loved and cherished.  
**

**I do not own any of these characters.  
**

* * *

What happened next, not even Batman could see. One second, the gun was in the man's hand, ready to fire. Then the next moment, it was gone.

And so was the billionaire's son.

Kid Flash was hidden in the worn down kitchen of the apartment. His hands worked fast as he untied Richard. The ropes fell to the ground, leaving behind red and raw skin underneath it.

The speedster stood up all the way, watching with concerned eyes as the raven-haired boy pushed himself up from the sitting position he had been in for so long. There was a small stumbled, but he caught himself and put a hand to his head.

"Thanks Wally." Dick muttered, glancing up at him.

Flash's nephew nodded slowly with the same look on his face.

"Hey!" A shout caught the two off guard. Then turned around towards the door and saw Rich blocking the doorway with a shotgun pointed at them. He looked a little scared, his hands shook wildly, but he aimed and fired a messy shot at the heroes.

The same second he fired, Kid Flash snatched the ebony up while the thug was lifted into the air by Miss Martian, who only showed herself after KF had safely gotten out of the room with the rescued hostage. Her eyes glowed and she slammed Rich down onto the ground, the gun sliding away from him.

An arrow then shot through the air and landed next to him, exploding into a dark gray gas. There were a few coughs before they died down and he lay there unconscious.

Artemis flipped down from the shelf and looked down at him with a glare.

Miss Martian gave a small smile before flying out of the room to help the others.

Aqualad was in hand to hand combat with Dean. He looked like he was winning. However, the fight ended a lot sooner when a table was flung out from the corner of the room and hit the thug in the back, forcing him to his face. He weakly looked up at the Atlantean, who decided to finish the job with a hard kick to the head.

The man then dropped his head, unconscious. He looked up at the corner to see Superboy standing there, wiping the dust off his hands with a smirk.

A yellow and red blur sped by and stopped in front of the team leader.

"'Can't find 'Two Ugly' anywhere." He reported, frowning and pulling his goggles up. He placed his hands on his hips and turned his attention towards the doorway as the two remaining teammates walked over as well.

"He wasn't in the basement." Artemis shook her head with the Martian following close behind.

_Thud!_

Everyone looked down at the ground in front of them to see Two Face tied up in a cord, unconscious like the rest of them.

They turned to see the Dark Knight standing in front of them. The air got tenser.

"You got my call." He stated in his monotone voice as usual. Nothing was more menacing than the Batman in a rundown apartment in Gotham City. It looked like something out of a video game.

Aqualad stepped in, "Yes, we came as soon as we could." he nodded, standing in front of his team. He then turned to Kid Flash.

"Where is Mr. Wayne's son?" He asked, glancing down at the hero with his usual gentle and kindness. His voice was like something off a record, the way it was smooth, even after the small battle just minutes before.

The speedster dashed off and came back only moments later, holding the small boy bridal style.

"Right here." He said, smirking, before then placing him down. It was gentle, almost like he was afraid to break him.

Batman narrowed his eyes. He knew that Dick had trusted the red-head enough to tell him his secret identity. Although he believed that was a truly _dumb_ idea, he had to admit, the teen was doing a good job of acting like he didn't know him.

"Are you alright?" Miss Martian was the first to approach the boy. She had her hands collapsed in front of her.

Richard was studying Batman's face, like he was being told something although neither of them had spoken a word. His blue eyes then turned to the teen. He gave a small smile and extended a hand.

"Never better. Thanks for rescuing me. Richard Grayson." He introduced himself politely. Even with his messed up and scuffed state, he didn't miss a beat of playing the part.

The Martian met his hand half way with a small smile. She looked pretty happy to have made a new friend.

"Oh I'm-"

The billionaire's son chuckled, cutting her off.

"I know who you are. You guys are the Young Justice team." He said like it was the most simple question he had ever answered. The street lamps in the window reflected off his light blue eyes, making them shine with excitement.

"You heard of us?" Superboy spoke for the first time, looking a little bit confused. Even with that, he kept his gruff persona.

Again, Richard laughed.

"Of course I have. You guys are my biggest inspiration." He flattered, placing his hands on his hips. He then turned to the team leader.

"You're Aqualad, team leader." He explained simply before turning to his right with a smirk.

"You're Artemis, new sidekick to Green Arrow."

"_Sidekick_?" Artemis retorted, shaking her head with a disgusted look. She didn't want him to realize she was the girl at his school. So she kept her annoyed look.

"Sorry, my bad, you're the new _partner_ to Green Arrow." He corrected himself, flashing a small smile. She couldn't help it; she smiled back.

The boy then turned to Miss Martian again.

"You're Miss Martian. Maybe you could help me with my essay of space." He joked lightly, making her laugh some, before turning to Superboy. The older boy glared down at him, which wasn't hard to do considering he was a lot shorter than the clone.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say you're related to Superman." The boy guessed, shrugging.

"That's Suppey, don't mind him; he's just a little grumpy he didn't get to bash some faces in." Kid Flash now cut in with a cocky voice. This earned him a glare from the super boy.

Richard did the same laugh.

Artemis looked at her teammates and wondered if she was the only who thought that it was the most adorable thing she had ever heard in her life. She glanced to her right and realized that Batman was now gone. She looked around, confused, before glancing back at the boy.

"And you're…Flashboy?" Dick asked, turning to the speedster with a knowing smirk.

Kid Flash grinned and looked down at the boy.

"Kid Flash, but close." He said before a hand stuck out in front of him. He glanced at the boy to see him reaching out to shake his hand. With a small smile, he met the boy with his gloved hand and gave him a small shake.

The billionaire's son was the first to release before turning to the team with a confused look on his face.

"Wait… there are only five of you. Where's Robin?" He questioned, glancing at Aqualad. The darkness of the room wasn't as bad as before now. It was a little lighter outside and the old apartment had a warmer feel to it.

"Our missing teammate could not come with us today. Batman has informed us that he was resting off an illness." The team leader explained in his usual talking voice. Why was this teen so easy to talk to?

"That's too bad; it would have been cool meeting him too. Well, not like I haven't met him, but it's always nice to meet the people who keep Gotham safe." The ebony-haired boy shrugged before crossing his arms. The team exchanged looks that all said the same thing. They all looked to Aqualad to ask the teen.

"Richard," the team leader started while the billionaire's son was walking over to the window, sticking his head out. He didn't seem at all concerned around anything that had just happened with his kidnapping and it worried the team that he might have suffered a concussion.

"Please, call me Dick. That's what everyone else does." The teen glanced back before sticking his head back out the window.

"Looks like the Gotham Police are coming." He reported in another topic before closing the window with a loud crack. He whipped the dust off his hands with his jeans that were already dirtied.

"You do not seem concerned about your kidnapping." Aqualad intervened, watching the boy with careful eyes. He did not want to upset him, but his head wound was bleeding again. He guessed the rest of the team had realized this because they all inched a little closer, if the boy was to fall from blood lose.

"Of course not. This happens like every couple weeks." Dick confined in the young team.

"You mean you get kidnapped like this every week?" Miss Martian said, worry lacing her voice. She had floated up a little closer now.

"Well not exactly like this. Usually it's a lot simpler. This was one of the more dangerous times." He explained before being cut off by a sharp knock.

"_Gotham Police_!" The shout barked.

"Thanks to you five, Bruce Wayne's son is safe. Mr. Wayne should here in a few minutes to thank you personally. Good job." The chief of Gotham Police congratulated the teens before walking over to the station truck to make sure Two Face and his two goons were squared away in Arkham Asylum.

The sun was shining brightly and the sky was a light blue. It looked more like Central City than anything. A large crowd had come to see the billionaire's son safely returned to Bruce Wayne. They all cheered whenever one of the young heroes looked at them.

"And I thought Superman had it good." Kid Flash joked before he realized he was standing right next to his clone and inched away with a nervous smile.

"Hey guys," the familiar voice of Dick Grayson came up as the boy jogged over. He wore bandages on his head, forearms, and parts of his legs. He didn't look too concerned though.

"Just wanted to thank you again for saving me," He said with a small smile. His eyes were bright, like a little boy who just received the gifts from Santa on Christmas.

His hair was a little more fixed, but it wasn't as neat as it usual was.

"Anytime, Shorty." Artemis replied, smirking.

Dick smirked back when suddenly he heard a yell.

"He's here!" Someone in the crowd shouted. Right away, people with cameras came from the crowd and ran over the long limo that was now driving up. The crowd wasn't far behind.

The Young Justice team turned with confused faces. The raven-haired boy turned as well but took a couple steps forward, as if that would help him get a better look.

The driver opened his door and went to open the main door. However, it opened before he got there, as a tall, dark haired man stepped out. The flashes of cameras got more intense as he looked around for his son.

"_That's_ Bruce Wayne?" Artemis asked, with widened eyes. The man that had walked out of the limo didn't really seem like the billionaire, play boy type. Right now he just looked like a worried father.

Dick grinned and tore down the black concrete parking lot, towards the man. The billionaire barely had time to look before he was tackled into a hug around his sides. He raised his hands high above the boy's head as the shock of the sudden action stunned him. He then relaxed into a smile and embraced the small form of the boy.

A loud sound of '_Aww_' went through the crowd. Then, they started clapping. Even the police were cheering for the two being reunited. Cameras flashed into the two's faces. Bruce turned and led his ward into the limo before glancing behind him, like he forgot something.

The Young Justice team all wore small smiles from the scene in front of them, although they weren't expecting Bruce Wayne himself to walk up to them in front of the crowd. They glanced up at the rich man, not really sure what to do.

"Thank you." Bruce said, reaching into his suit and pulling out a small card. "And if any of you ever need anything, just call this number. I'll set you up with one of my staff members." He explained, holding the business card in between his two fingers.

Aqualad cautiously took the card and studied it, before looking up with a smile. The rest of the team glanced back up from the card too, to see Bruce was already closing the jet black limo door and the driver was already getting into his seat.

"Come." Aqualad said, turning to his team with an accomplished smile.

"Let us go back to the Cave."

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**There it is folks! The ending to Family Before Business! When I read one of the reviews _minichurros123_ (hey there!) guessed who was going to save him. It took a lot of strength for me NOT to spoil it then. Anyway, please review with your thoughts on how the story went! **

**Also, I'll be looking for another Young Justice chapter story, so if anyone has any ideas they would want me to do, please let me know! I'll credit you in the author notes! :D**

**'Till then, thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed!  
AMW  
**


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